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Iceland’s Hekla Could Erupt with Short Notice

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Iceland’s Hekla Could Erupt with Short Notice

January 11, 2010 17:13Updated: January 30, 2014 20:16

Freysteinn Sigmundsson, geophysicist at the University of Iceland’s Institute of Earth Sciences, believes that the volcano Hekla in south Iceland could erupt with short notice. However, it is difficult to predict when the volcano will start to erupt.

Hekla. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.

Some people contacted the Icelandic Meteorological Office last week, reporting snow-free spots near the volcano’s summit. Erlendur Ingvarsson from the nearby farm Skard told RÚV that this is unusual considering the cold weather, mbl.is reports.

Sigmundsson said changes to Hekla’s geothermal pattern aren’t necessarily a sign that the volcano is preparing to erupt; it could be the consequence of increased expansion of the volcano’s inner structure, which makes it easier for the heat to travel to the surface.

Since 1970, Hekla has erupted every ten years; the last eruption was in February 2000.